Hey guys. Get ready to read; this post is long. I'll try to keep most of my posts short and to the point, but since this is the intro post, I'm trying to put in some info for the newer players.
I'm your IC for the game. As your IC, my role is to be helpful as much as I can for new players who are just learning the ropes of online mafia, or even mafia in general. However, I'm going to play this just like any other game, so don't expect me or the SE's to hold your hand.
I go by imkingdavid, david, kingdavid, ikd, or any variation thereof; just make sure it's clear that you're referring to me. But for the sake of staying sane, you can use abbreviations to refer to people; I will be doing so as well. Just try and don't be offensive or anything.
A few things to realize first: just because I'm IC, I'm not automatically the know-it-all. I can be wrong some times, and probably will be. I have, however, played my share of games (I think this will be my 8th here on this site), so I have a bit more experience in certain situations and know what does and doesn't work.
That being said, I also have my own opinion on how things should be done. That doesn't make it the correct or only way to do things. If you see a flaw in something I'm saying, point it out. I'll do the same for you.
I see that tracker has opted not to begin with RVS (the Random Voting Stage) which is something I agree with. I am not a huge supporter of RVS, as, to me, it just seems pointless. Although, I'm sure it does have its merit, as most newbie game do begin with it to sort of break the ice and get some discussion going.
But moving on, I can see we've already got some questions posed, which I think everyone should take some time and think about and then answer. By the way, please try not to give an answer to a question not directed to you unless the person to whom it is directed has already answered it. This prevents the person that is supposed to answer it from just stealing what you said if they like it without having to think for themselves.
I will answer the question(s) posed to me at the end of this post, and will post some of my own as well.
These next couple of paragraphs are really directed to the newer players, as those who have already played a game or two or have browsed a couple of games on the site will know what I'm talking about already. So if you already know this stuff, you can skip down a few paragraphs unless you feel like reading.
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Here are some common terms/abbreviations used in game:
- WIFOM = "Wine In Front Of Me" - This comes from the movie/novel Princess Bride, during the "Battle of Wits" scene. Here's the basic idea:
But that's just what he wants me to think, so I'll do the opposite. But maybe that's what he wants me to think, so I'll not do the opposite. But maybe that's what he wants me to think...
- EBWOP = "Edit By Way Of Post" - If you will notice, there is no edit button on your posts except in the Mish Mash, General Discussion, and Mafia Discussion forums. That means that whatever you post is there forever. You cannot change it. So think before you hit submit. I'll explain the value of the "preview" button in a bit.
- L-# = "Lynch - #" - Example: L-2. Basically, the # represents the number of votes needed before a lynch occurs. So a user at L-2 needs 2 more people to vote for him before he is lynched.
- Bandwagon - a lot of votes against the same person in quick succession with little or no change in reasoning. This can be used by scum to initiate a quick lynch of a townie without scum having to hammer.
Those are the ones I can think of off of the top of my head. If you see anyone use any others and need to know what they mean, either consult the wiki or ask.
I mentioned the preview button above. This is a handy tool for a couple of reasons. For one, it allows you to see your post exactly as it can be seen when you hit Submit. This way, you can see and fix any broken BBCode tags (such as quote or bold tags). Secondly, if you look under the message box that you enter your post into, there is a Topic Review box that lists the most recent posts. If you hit preview, this box updates, so not only can you look back at a post that you are trying to respond to, but also you can see any new posts made since you started your post. It's a good idea, especially after taking the time to type out a long post, to preview it just to make sure.
One thing you should all do if you haven't already is get an avatar (picture that appears under your name). Doing so makes it MUCH easier to quickly, at a glance, tell who posted what. Because colors and shapes are much easier to tell between than plain black text. Of course, this isn't required, so if you can't find something suitable, don't worry. You can always add or change your avatar later on if you find a better picture.
Finally, realize that by signing up for this game, you made a commitment to the game. If you for whatever reason cannot commit to this game, it's perfectly fine to ask the mod to be replaced out. You can always sign back up for another game later on when you are able to. However, it's not cool to just sign up and leave us hanging.
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Ok, so now to answer those questions.
imkingdavid (IC): As our IC, what are your concerns about this game?
I'm not exactly sure what you mean with "concerns". But to answer to the best of what I do understand, I am hoping that this game will provide a good learning environment for all of the participants and allow each of us to increase our own skill with the game.
And one final question for everyone: What is your view on No-Lynching? Is their ever a time where No-Lynching would be better than a lynch?
No-lynching, for those who don't know, is when the town as a whole decides not to lynch anyone that particular day. It can be achieved by voting for No Lynch (as opposed to voting a specific person). A lot of newer players come into the game with the belief that we should not lynch the first day, as the chances are in favor of lynching a pro-town role (7/9) as opposed to a pro-mafia role (2/9). While, yes, you are correct, you also need to realize that as a town, our only real weapon (besides any potential power roles) is our vote. So by not voting, we are giving the mafia a free pass. The only way we can win as a town is to lynch the mafia, and by not lynching, we hurt our chances of winning. Realize that all people who get lynched still win the game if their side wins (a lynched or night-killed pro-town player wins with the rest of the town, whereas a lynched mafia-aligned player can still win if his or her partner survives to the end). On top of that, we can get some good insight based on who votes for whom and such. So, in my opinion, and based on my experience, it is not a good idea to no-lynch.
Now, for those of you who are new, please don't just copy what I said; actually think about it and if you have a differing opinion, you're welcome to share it. As a town, we need discussion. While it's not good to dwell on game theory, it can help us get started with the game.
Canada wrote:Also, I'm bored, mind if I answer them all? :/.
Like I said above, I think it's best for each person to answer questions directed at them before other people answer those questions. But after that, I guess you're welcome to give your opinion as well.
Canada wrote:I tend to lurk and make a big-ish post every so often. I normally average one or two posts in a day (real day, not a mafia day !).
It's good to be enthusiastic and active, but just so you realize, some games may go more slowly than others, so two posts a day is welcome to keep things running. But just don't expect everyone else to post that often either. The reason for the 20 day deadline is because people sometimes cannot post every day or even every other day.
Canada wrote:20 days? Damn, longer discussion time than I've ever played before.
You'll get used to it. And that can be cut short if we come to a decision on a lynch before that. While it's best to stretch discussion out as long as we can, it doesn't always last up to deadline. Deadline is just there in case we do take a long time to come to a decision (although if discussion is still going strong, the mod may opt to add even another week).
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I know tracker already basically asked a similar question to Gayle, but I'll go ahead and post a more general version to everyone:
What is your experience in playing mafia (either online or offline)?
I'll answer this myself later when I get a chance, but at the moment I've got to go.
Cheers!
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. You made me lose the game.
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lol.
